


Autophobia

by RememberToHaveFun



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Not Beta Read, Not Romance, almost horror, maybe a little romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RememberToHaveFun/pseuds/RememberToHaveFun
Summary: Kara's capacity for hope is put to the test when Ashiok looks into her nightmares for inspiration hoping to find monsters and finding something even better instead. More than Kara will be tested when Ashiok realizes the nothing would terrify Kara more than being the lone survivor of a ruined world.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Kudos: 24





	Autophobia

Kara stared out into National city. There was no motion and worse there was no sound, no car engines, no crying children and not a single heartbeat. 

It was familiar though.

“I haven’t had this nightmare since I was a kid,” Kara mused.

“You used your superspeed for the first time,” echoed an unfamiliar voice. “The world around you slowed down, and the silence shook you. This nightmare followed you for some time after.”

“Who are you?” Kara called out as she looked all around. She just knew this voice wasn’t part of her dream. “How do you know about that?”

The voice echoed back from all around, like the world itself was speaking to her. “I am just a passing artist seeking inspiration,” it rumbled.

“From my dreams?” Kara couldn’t help but smile.

“From your nightmares. Your deepest fears to be precise.”

“Okay. That’s a lot less whimsical than I was hoping,” Kara shared her thoughts freely. It was her dream after all.

The intruder continued on unconcerned with the criticism. “You’re too full of hope though. Monsters don’t scare you. You only have plebeian fears. This one is autophobia. You’ve likely been feeling lonely lately.”

“Yeah, Lena and I are going through a thing right now,” Kara was starting to doubt the voice could even hear her.

It continued on without her. “I can’t help but feel disappointed. The only being on this dull rock that fights super-beings on a regular basis, and what keeps you awake at night?”

“Nyctophobia.” Suddenly the world was swept away. Everything around her was dust now lost in the wind. 

Leaving only cold, empty space that sent Kara’s heart thundering in her ears.

“Claustrophobia.” Kara is scooped like water into a pitcher and suddenly she is watching the darkness through the glass of her escape pod-one meant for a child- and it so-so hard to breathe.

“Thanatophobia.” A single light shines into the darkness and hundreds of figures drifting through space assault Kara’s eyes. Everyone she’s ever saved. A field of corpses. 

“Stop! Please, stop!” she shouts and screams and tears stream down her face. She slammed her hands against the pod uselessly.

Kara gasped awake in the DEO sickbay covered in sweat.

“Kara! You’re awake! Get Alex, she’s awake!” Nia’s happy voice returns gravity to Kara.

“What happened? Why am I at the DEO?”

“Some sort of dream spirit attacked you. I sensed it and we’ve been working all night to pull you out of your dream. We needed help and equipment from the DEO to save you.” Nia held Kara’s indestructible hand like she would a child’s and Kara was grateful.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Nia, it was so terrible.” Kara’s labored breaths were drifting to sighs of relief.

“Kara, I was so worried. You wouldn’t wake up no matter what we did!” Alex pulled Kara into the hug she needed so badly. Brainy, and Lena shuffle in behind Alex.

“Lena-”

“Don’t. Just tell me if you feel pain anywhere or any other lingering symptoms.” Lena tried to put up a tough front, but there was softness underneath that Kara had been craving for so long.

Sirens wailed and red lights flashed. Alex snapped into soldier mode. “Report!”

“The reactor is going critical! Someone disabled the early warning alarms! They must have followed Supergirl in somehow!”

“Shut it do-” Kara was slammed into a wall of light and thunder sent her spinning into the sky.

Below her shere National City had been moments before, was a crater and silence.

Kara screamed. She screamed for Alex, for Lena. For J’onn, James, Nia and so many more. She screamed and screamed. She screamed at the silence, at the pain and the devastation of surviving.

“Magnificent,” a familiar rumble spoke with awe.

Terrified but hopeful she yelled out, “I’m still dreaming! I’m still dreaming! Tell me I’m still dreaming!”

A low chuckle filled the air. “And what a dream! Not just death, but the death of all. Not just loneliness, but being the lone survivor. Ha! Commonplace fears taken to the furthest extremes! Glorious!”

“You’re sick! Why would you do this to me?!”

“I haven’t done anything. Yet. This was just inspiration pulled from your own mind, Kara. I have not yet begun my work.”

“More nightmares?! More torture for your twisted enjoyment?!”

“No, you magnificent creature. No more dreams. Real death. Real loss. And not just this little city, the world! I am Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Sculptor of Fears! Kara Danvers, you will be my masterpiece!”

Rumbling laughter and swirling black mist surrounded her and grew and grew until-

Kara’s alarm went off. Sweat was soaked through her pajamas and tears into her pillow.

She sent a lot of confusing texts in rapid succession that morning.

**Author's Note:**

> Kara's strange relationship with fear was something I found really interesting. There are great works exploring her issues, karalovesallthegirls has some of my favorite thoughts on the subject. 
> 
> Kara's crushing fear that she has to squash down every morning to get out of bed that someone she loves will be hurt because of her was captivating for me. I thought of just reintroducing Psi, which would have been probably cleaner than doing a crossover, but Ashiok's desire to force people to confront their worst fears in reality I thought was interesting.
> 
> So then I wrote this in an hour somehow. I'm not really a writer, so that's pretty wild to me.


End file.
